Techniquest
Veteran Member
Some fascinating ideas here, St Albans is now on my list for investigating as soon as possible!
I see the OP has organised their travel to Southampton for a bargain price, I hope they're aware Southampton to Arundel is a fair bit of distance and is not cheap!
However I was also going to recommend getting a Southern DaySave and exploring the Coastway. Semaphore signalling in Bognor Regis for example, and for now some 313 action, could be worth investigating. Similar for a good walk along the coast, certainly easy to do from Goring-by-Sea station for example to Worthing. I didn't go further than that in May 2021, but it was an enjoyable walk.
If the trains aren't of huge significance down that way, and the desire to see more scenery is desired, there's Route 700 Coastway buses with Stagecoach that could certainly be worth a look at. I've not done them yet myself, but they're on my one-day list.
Let's see, other options. I know it's pretty close to Birmingham, but a Voyager to Cheltenham to pick up GWR to either Stonehouse or Stroud could be a good call. There's Route 45 on the National Cycle Network which is happily walkable to Nailsworth, along the old railway. It was quite a nice walk when I did it, I think Stagecoach's Route 63 bus is the one that would bring you back from Nailsworth. It's not a hugely long walk, a good handful of miles but definitely one of interest.
There's also rather nice options along the canal from the Bedwyn area (@Kite159 will know these better) towards Newbury and onwards towards Reading. Very much on my list of things I want to do!
Something a little different would be the walk from Oxford to Witney, which from the north of Oxford in the Wolvercote area (and yes there is a bridge that you can safely take photos from) takes on a shared-use path alongside the A40 past places like Eynsham (I must go there and see the place some time) but I must note that it is a fair ol' distance. Not something you could really do in half a day, not if you want to really enjoy it kind of thing. Witney's a nice town, I haven't explored it enough yet but if you like beer then Wychwood are based there I seem to recall. You can also do buses to Burford, another nice place to have a walk around. There's also a 2-hourly bus service (S2 with Stagecoach I believe) that takes you through more of that part of the world up to Cheltenham, and the buses used on that route are quite nice. I enjoyed that route when I did it some time back, and the walk to Witney I haven't exactly done yet but I very much have it on my list of walks to do.
You could, potentially, do a Voyager to Oxford, then the walk to Witney, explore the town then head over to Cheltenham on the bus and do another Voyager back!
In terms of adventuring over the southern part of England, there really are many options. It really depends on what you want to see and do! I could also recommend looking at the walk along the old railway from Shoreham-by-Sea to Christ's Hospital, I have it on my list of cycle rides I want to do and I know @Kite159 has done it on foot so can proffer an opinion much better than I.
If you want more trains than outdoor exploring, but still a bit of it, then I agree with the person who recommended a Freedom of Severn and Solent rover. It covers an enormous area and it was always excellent value when I did them many years ago. It will enable exploring of so many places you won't know where to start!
Someone recommended Weymouth, and while I haven't been for many years I would recommend including it on a tour of Dorset. I'd also recommend looking at the bus from Weymouth/Dorchester to Axminster, to see places the railway goes nowhere near these days. I think there's also the bus to Exeter, which would be worth a go. Seaton Tramway is in that part of the world, and while I haven't done it yet I hope to do so in June.
Devon has many options too, the journeys around Devon can be really quite enjoyable. The best part is that a day ranger for Devon is really quite cheap, and for someone who loves Voyagers it's nicely easy to get to from Birmingham. In terms of adventures down there, I'd suggest starting with a trip to Exmouth, exploring the seaside town, before then heading up the shared-use path through places like Lympstone and onwards along the estuary. There's also the Exmouth to Starcross ferry, and of course I nearly forgot the famous Dawlish Sea Wall! There's also railway interest with the old atmospheric railway at Starcross, I don't know if there's anywhere open down there to find out more though. It was on a YouTube video and I've forgot the details now!
There's also the scenic Gunnislake branch, as well as the rebuilt Okehampton branch to travel on, and I like the journey to Barnstaple too. All 3 lines have railway interest, and plenty of options to go exploring from. You may have guessed that I have way too many wants in that area!
Looking towards Kent, there's the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway which is a fun day out. Someone else mentioned walking options, and I have got the idea to investigate them more fully myself from this thread. There's supposed to be some nice walking options along the coast in the Margate sort of area, I'm trying to picture all the place names without a map or recent visit to the area so apologies for being vague! In terms of places to stay, I highly recommend The Railway in Faversham. Pretty much directly outside the station, and on my previous visits the rooms were really comfortable. Nothing too exciting in terms of facilities, all the usual basics like a kettle, tea/coffee etc, but what mattered the most was that it was a comfortable stay in a very convenient location for the railway.
Down that way you have of course got Canterbury as well, a place I want to go and explore fully. In terms of the railway, you've got Westernhanger for the Eurostars racing past, and the former Folkestone Harbour branch has been converted to a nicely pedestrian area. It still retains much of its former railway stuff though, definitely on my list to have a look at one day.
I don't think my local area of Herefordshire really counts here, but I could certainly give you some suggestions for my part of the world if you wanted them
The above is just a handful of ideas, I could be here until sunrise giving you all of my suggestions! OK, actually one more for now. You might enjoy the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, which as it sounds goes along the old railway between the two cities. Amongst other things, such as an old triangular station, the path goes alongside the Avon Valley Railway. I've not been on that heritage railway yet, but I've done the majority of the path on a cycle ride and it was well worth doing.
I see the OP has organised their travel to Southampton for a bargain price, I hope they're aware Southampton to Arundel is a fair bit of distance and is not cheap!
However I was also going to recommend getting a Southern DaySave and exploring the Coastway. Semaphore signalling in Bognor Regis for example, and for now some 313 action, could be worth investigating. Similar for a good walk along the coast, certainly easy to do from Goring-by-Sea station for example to Worthing. I didn't go further than that in May 2021, but it was an enjoyable walk.
If the trains aren't of huge significance down that way, and the desire to see more scenery is desired, there's Route 700 Coastway buses with Stagecoach that could certainly be worth a look at. I've not done them yet myself, but they're on my one-day list.
Let's see, other options. I know it's pretty close to Birmingham, but a Voyager to Cheltenham to pick up GWR to either Stonehouse or Stroud could be a good call. There's Route 45 on the National Cycle Network which is happily walkable to Nailsworth, along the old railway. It was quite a nice walk when I did it, I think Stagecoach's Route 63 bus is the one that would bring you back from Nailsworth. It's not a hugely long walk, a good handful of miles but definitely one of interest.
There's also rather nice options along the canal from the Bedwyn area (@Kite159 will know these better) towards Newbury and onwards towards Reading. Very much on my list of things I want to do!
Something a little different would be the walk from Oxford to Witney, which from the north of Oxford in the Wolvercote area (and yes there is a bridge that you can safely take photos from) takes on a shared-use path alongside the A40 past places like Eynsham (I must go there and see the place some time) but I must note that it is a fair ol' distance. Not something you could really do in half a day, not if you want to really enjoy it kind of thing. Witney's a nice town, I haven't explored it enough yet but if you like beer then Wychwood are based there I seem to recall. You can also do buses to Burford, another nice place to have a walk around. There's also a 2-hourly bus service (S2 with Stagecoach I believe) that takes you through more of that part of the world up to Cheltenham, and the buses used on that route are quite nice. I enjoyed that route when I did it some time back, and the walk to Witney I haven't exactly done yet but I very much have it on my list of walks to do.
You could, potentially, do a Voyager to Oxford, then the walk to Witney, explore the town then head over to Cheltenham on the bus and do another Voyager back!
In terms of adventuring over the southern part of England, there really are many options. It really depends on what you want to see and do! I could also recommend looking at the walk along the old railway from Shoreham-by-Sea to Christ's Hospital, I have it on my list of cycle rides I want to do and I know @Kite159 has done it on foot so can proffer an opinion much better than I.
If you want more trains than outdoor exploring, but still a bit of it, then I agree with the person who recommended a Freedom of Severn and Solent rover. It covers an enormous area and it was always excellent value when I did them many years ago. It will enable exploring of so many places you won't know where to start!
Someone recommended Weymouth, and while I haven't been for many years I would recommend including it on a tour of Dorset. I'd also recommend looking at the bus from Weymouth/Dorchester to Axminster, to see places the railway goes nowhere near these days. I think there's also the bus to Exeter, which would be worth a go. Seaton Tramway is in that part of the world, and while I haven't done it yet I hope to do so in June.
Devon has many options too, the journeys around Devon can be really quite enjoyable. The best part is that a day ranger for Devon is really quite cheap, and for someone who loves Voyagers it's nicely easy to get to from Birmingham. In terms of adventures down there, I'd suggest starting with a trip to Exmouth, exploring the seaside town, before then heading up the shared-use path through places like Lympstone and onwards along the estuary. There's also the Exmouth to Starcross ferry, and of course I nearly forgot the famous Dawlish Sea Wall! There's also railway interest with the old atmospheric railway at Starcross, I don't know if there's anywhere open down there to find out more though. It was on a YouTube video and I've forgot the details now!
There's also the scenic Gunnislake branch, as well as the rebuilt Okehampton branch to travel on, and I like the journey to Barnstaple too. All 3 lines have railway interest, and plenty of options to go exploring from. You may have guessed that I have way too many wants in that area!
Looking towards Kent, there's the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway which is a fun day out. Someone else mentioned walking options, and I have got the idea to investigate them more fully myself from this thread. There's supposed to be some nice walking options along the coast in the Margate sort of area, I'm trying to picture all the place names without a map or recent visit to the area so apologies for being vague! In terms of places to stay, I highly recommend The Railway in Faversham. Pretty much directly outside the station, and on my previous visits the rooms were really comfortable. Nothing too exciting in terms of facilities, all the usual basics like a kettle, tea/coffee etc, but what mattered the most was that it was a comfortable stay in a very convenient location for the railway.
Down that way you have of course got Canterbury as well, a place I want to go and explore fully. In terms of the railway, you've got Westernhanger for the Eurostars racing past, and the former Folkestone Harbour branch has been converted to a nicely pedestrian area. It still retains much of its former railway stuff though, definitely on my list to have a look at one day.
I don't think my local area of Herefordshire really counts here, but I could certainly give you some suggestions for my part of the world if you wanted them
The above is just a handful of ideas, I could be here until sunrise giving you all of my suggestions! OK, actually one more for now. You might enjoy the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, which as it sounds goes along the old railway between the two cities. Amongst other things, such as an old triangular station, the path goes alongside the Avon Valley Railway. I've not been on that heritage railway yet, but I've done the majority of the path on a cycle ride and it was well worth doing.
